


Waltz

by sunnynights



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Drunkenness, F/M, Nostalgia, Old Friends, Rexxentrum, Secret Crush, Soltryce Academy, Teenagers, Underage Drinking, Unrequited Crush, just teens hanging out, this hurts if you know how it ends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22165165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnynights/pseuds/sunnynights
Summary: Caleb is drunk. Very drunk. So drunk that when Jester guides him through a dance, every step reminds him of another lifetime.
Relationships: Astrid/Bren Aldric Ermendrud, Jester Lavorre & Caleb Widogast
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Waltz

**Waltz**

_(noun)_ a ballroom dance, in moderately fast triple meter, in which the dancers revolve in perpetual circles, taking one step to each beat

 _(verb)_ to progress easily or successfully

——————————————————————————

After Caleb stepped on Jester's toes a few too many times, she took it upon herself to lead the waltz. Eventually, they settled into a smooth rhythm, matching the rise and fall of the band. Other couples in the Blushing Tankard jumped up to join the dance. A bar full of enthusiastically swaying circles.

Jester watched Caleb intently. His body seemed to move automatically, relying on past learnings and her guidance. The distant look on his eyes made it evident that his thoughts were elsewhere. Yet, there was a serene smile on his face. Jester couldn't remember a time when he had looked this peaceful. Of course, the jovial atmosphere of Hupperdook and the ridiculous amount of alcohol in his system were to thank for that. She nestled into his chest, feeling the quiet exhale of his words.

“You were always a better dancer than me, Astrid.”

——————————————————————————

It was the coldest night of the year in Rexxentrum. A cruel wind whipped its way through the muddy streets. The bar may have been dingy and cramped but at least it was warm. And it was far, far from the Soltryce Academy. The last thing they needed was to get caught.

The Grim Shelf Tavern hosted all sorts of unsavory types. Thieves, thugs, fences. And in the very back corner were two young teenagers, drunk enough to dance without any music or fears about what dangers the night may carry.

“I told you, you’re a much better dancer than me.”

Bren clasped Astrid's hand like his life depended on it. His other hand rested on her back nervously as he tried not to walk into any other patrons in the bar. Astrid tried to hold back a giggle as he stepped all over her shoes and cloak.

"Stop looking at your feet!" she commanded. "Just watch my face."

He looked up at Astrid, her eyes alight with the spark of determination. Her severe features softened, encouraging him as they moved slowly and smoothly. He let himself be lead by her, drinking in her presence. She was ever ambitious yet so kind, wanting to learn and teach, challenge herself and others. It's what made them alike, what made him enjoy her company so much. Astrid drew him closer, and as they stepped and swayed, Bren's hand slid down to her waist. Suddenly, he stumbled, his heel knocking into the leg of a table. He nearly fell over, but Astrid caught him by the arm.

“That was really good!" she said with a laugh. "See? I'm not better, you're just very drunk."

“Isn't a waltz supposed to be graceful?”

Bren and Astrid watched with a grin as Eodwulf walked over from the bar with three more tankards of ale. He set them down and finished with a harsh whisper in Zemnian.

“Quit drawing so much attention to yourselves. Someone’s going to notice that we’re too young to be in here.”

Bren picked up a tankard and playfully punched Eodwulf in the arm.

"Why are you so worried? You look like a full grown man."

Astrid also grabbed a tankard and rolled her eyes.

"Too bad his _brain_ isn't full grown. Did you know he forgot his components bag right before the spellcasting exam today? He had to run all the way back to the dormitory."

Eodwulf brought up his arms and flexed his impressive muscles.

"Running helps energize the brain. I made it back before the exam started _and_ got the second highest score in the class."

"Maybe if you were prepared, you would have gotten a better score," Bren said with a smirk and stuck his hand out for a high five. Astrid dutifully slapped it; they had tied for highest. 

Eodwulf turned his focus to Bren, looking at him with his mouth agape in mock hurt. He theatrically raised his hand to his chest.

"Okay genius, next time you misspell Wynandir twelve times on the written portion of the history final, I won't be there to fix it for you. I risked my _life_ to save your academic career and this is the thanks I get."

Astrid slung her arm around Eodwulf and raised her tankard into the air.

"Okay, okay, that's enough. We're celebrating! We all passed our exams and finished our first semester at the Academy. And somehow didn't kill each other by the end of it. Here's to many more!"

The three of them cheered and took long drinks out of their tankards. Astrid unceremoniously announced that she had to take a piss, so Bren and Eodwulf settled into their seats and watched her stumble out of the bar into a muddy alleyway. As he put down his drink, Bren could feel Eodwulf's eyes on him.

"What?"

"When are you going to tell her?" Eodwulf said with a knowing smile.

Bren could feel his face growing warm, but convinced himself it was just the alcohol.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's so obvious that you have a crush on her."

"Why, do you plan on making a move?"

Eodwulf snickered. "Nice try, you know I'm more into third and fourth years. Or older" He winked at someone a few tables away. Bren turned to see an elven woman, easily two or three hundred years old, scowl back and flash the dagger sheathed at her hip. He quickly turned back around and made a face.

"I should tell your mother about the things you do."

"Don't try to change the subject, Ermendrud. When are you going to tell Astrid you like her?"

Bren drained his drink and sighed before responding.

"I don't have a crush on Astrid. She is a good friend, just like you. And I don't want anything to get in the way of our friendship. Besides, we came here to study. No distractions."

"Does sneaking off to a bar in the middle of the night count as a distraction?"

He shook his head and got up with a smile. "Okay, some distractions. I'm going to go check on her. Please, while I'm gone, don't go bother that woman. She's probably old enough to be your grandmother many times over, and she has a knife."

Bren pretended not to hear Eodwulf's crass comment as he turned and walked out of the bar. The cold rushed to meet him, biting at his exposed skin and gnawing at his slight frame beneath his clothes. Astrid sat on the wooden steps of the store next to the bar, a rundown seamstress' shop. Despite the frigid air, Bren slipped off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders before he sat down beside him. She smiled at him graciously, her face ruddy from the chill and her inebriation, and pulled the coat tighter.

"Isn't Rexxentrum beautiful?" she said, gazing up at the pale moon lounging in a sea of stars. "Even here, in the poorest part of the city."

"It's a lot different than home."

She gave him a smile of pensive sadness. "Is it wrong that I'm beginning to feel like this is home? I love my family and I can't wait to spend Barren Eve with them. But this, this is where we belong."

She was right, Bren knew it too. Blumenthal may have been where they had lived their entire lives but it couldn't hold a candle to how he felt in Rexxentrum, how he felt at the Soltryce Academy. If he had stayed, he would have likely become a farmer or a craftsman or a soldier like his father. Bright, brilliant Astrid would have been someone's wife and nothing more. They would have lived and died without having seen more than fifty gold. Hell, the money they spent tonight at this bar was probably more than their families made in a day. But here, surrounded by knowledge and power and mentors and equally ambitious peers, they could become anything.

Bren was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Astrid's head resting on his shoulder until she broke the silence.

"Guess what happened today?" she asked softly. "I was leaving my last class when I ran into Master Ikithon."

Bren's heart swelled with excitement upon hearing the name. Trent Ikithon was an archmage for the Cerberus Assembly and easily one of the most powerful magic users in the Dwendalian Empire.

"He said he had been watching me and was proud at how much I've accomplished in such a short time."

"Astrid, that's amazing." As happy as he was for his friend, Bren couldn't deny the sharp pang of jealousy in the pit of his stomach.

"He told me not to tell anyone, but he working on a special project to make the Empire stronger. And he needs some students to help with it. Wouldn't it be amazing if three small-town nobodies were tutored personally by _the_ Trent Ikithon?"

He grasped Astrid's hands tightly. _Opportunity._ He would not, _could not,_ waste it. He would work, study, prove himself. Whatever it took.

Bren and Astrid heard a loud squabble from the bar, and out came Eodwulf flanked by a half orc and a human even larger than him.

"Thank you gents for the escort!" Eodwulf grabbed his friends and hurriedly whispered, "Uhh, we should go now."

The three of them walked up the dirt streets of The Mudtop Ward. As Astrid told Eodwulf what she had told him earlier, Bren couldn't drop the smile plastered to his face. This semester had been the greatest few months of his life. They would excel at the Soltryce Academy, he just knew it. And one day, he would come back and teach there. Maybe Astrid too. They would surround themselves with knowledge and curiosity, and never worry about lacking in money or fulfillment again. From this moment on, things would never be the same.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is brought to you by me being done with my first semester of college and missing being drunk&stupid TM with my friends so I'm going to make everyone else suffer too. Absolutely not proofread before posting because sometimes it be like that, let me know what you think!


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